Grit's Blind Date
by GenericDude
Summary: As part of an Allied Nations tension reduction scheme, Grit is coerced into going on a blind date with a fellow CO. As a man very unused to dates, Grit finds himself in an unfamiliar situation, filled with nerves, stress, and perhaps maybe even a little love. Rated K plus. Story set in conjunction with Hawke's Blind Date.
1. Chapter 1

Grit's Blind Date

Chapter 1

"…You must be pullin' my leg, son!"

Colin felt his heart sinking slightly as a pair of dirty brown boots kicked themselves up onto the table. They gave no mind to the stacks of papers that were lying underneath them, their white glow tarnished by the dried mud on the soles of the boots.

"Aw, come on, Grit!" Colin begged as he pulled up a chair, sitting down next to Grit, who was leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his head. Grit's eyes were focused on the ceiling of the small war room, set out in the middle of the field amongst the encampment.

"Colin…" Grit mumbled, playing around with the toothpick in his mouth, eyes still steadfast to the roof. "If you think you're gettin' me to go on a blind date with someone, then you got another thing comin'! I ain't been on a date since my days back at Orange Star!"

Grit has always been skeptical of the idea the moment it had been brought up. A blind date, offered to every commanding officer that officially served under the Allied Nations before its disbandment. Grit had never really considered himself a man for dates. His idea of fun was shooting tin cans from impossible distances and playing around with his toothpick.

He paid little attention to Colin, who idolized him to the point that he'd hoped to bend Grit's ear on the issue.

"But it'll be fun!" Colin explained. "Who knows who you'll end up going on a date with? It's all randomly decided…a-and it doesn't have to be romantic, you can just have fun!"

Colin heard Grit let out a sigh as he put his feet off the table, sitting up straight. Colin caught the tired look in Grit's eyes; he resembled a cow chewing the cud as he moved the toothpick from one corner of his mouth to the other. His deep, almost mundane voice only emphasized the laziness he showed. He turned his head to look at Colin, gazing at him for a few seconds.

"Listen, Colin" he said after a short silence. "I stopped this whole datin' business when I left Orange Star" he explained, shaking his head slightly as he maintained his gaze. "It ain't really no secret now; you know me and Nell got some history, right?" he asked. Colin nodded in response causing Grit to nod as well. "Now, when things didn't turn out so right, I realized that there's more to life…than datin', son! You know what I mean?"

"But, sir…" Colin started. "…Didn't you have fun?"

"I did…" Grit answered quickly. He then exhaled loudly as he pushed himself up from his seat and walked towards the battle map placed up on one side of the wall next to the door. Locking his hands behind his back, he looked up at it, tapping his foot as he gazed. "But life ain't fun and games. You'll learn that when you're older"

There was a short silence. Colin looked down towards the floor, feeling defeat creep up on him. But he wasn't willing to give up just yet. As a bug crawled across one of the beams of the wooden table, he shot his eyes back up at Grit.

"…Nell's the one organizing it though" he explained. Grit remained solitary, so Colin continued. "If things aren't that well between the two of you, then she's going to know that, too. Besides, I don't think she's actually going to be participating if she's the one who's setting it up, you know?"

"Don't make a bit of difference, Colin" Grit hummed defiantly. "I still ain't convinced"

"Please?" Colin asked in his best begging voice, standing from his chair and walking up to Grit. As he stopped next to him, he saw Grit's head drop as he sighed, still tapping his foot, before he turned his head slightly.

"…Is the Ol' Bearded One doing it too?" he asked, ceasing his foot from tapping momentarily.

"Uh…no" Colin answered.

"And why is that?" Grit asked again.

"Olaf's not the kind for dating" Colin explained. "You know that just as well as I do: he's in his autumn years and he's more interested in doing work at his desk and organizing patrols and that kind of stuff…" he explained.

"Key words there, Colin" Grit said quickly, hushing Colin. "Those words being: 'not the kind for dating'. In the same way that I ain't the kind for datin' too. Understand?" Grit explained.

"But you're younger!" Colin argued. A sense of doubt started to fill his mind as Grit's reply came unheard. "… _Are you_?"

Grit started to chuckle in response and turned around, leaning against the wall with his shoulder as he pulled his toothpick out and fiddled around with it in his hand.

"Colin, do I look like I'm old?" he asked. Colin studied Grit's tired face and head: no grey hairs, but a wrinkle here and there. It was clear that Grit didn't dye his hair at all, but what was clear was the long nights and work were expressing his facial lines.

"…I dunno, you _do_ look younger than Olaf" Colin concluded.

"That's because I am" Grit revealed with very little surprise, before turning to look back at the map. "Listen, even if I were interested in this proposition, I couldn't do it. You know I got to take care of this border patrol; you never know if any of them Black Hole leftovers are gonna come and cause a ruckus"

"They haven't attacked for days, though!" Colin protested.

"Just cause the war's over, doesn't means things are still feelin' a bit tight lately" Grit continued, still gazing towards the map on the wall. Colin had cracked by this point that Grit's stare was vacant. "I hear the soldiers talkin' sometimes; there's still an air of discomfort around the place. You know as well as I do, son, that the whole Allied Nations thing was tense from the start. When you're buddyin' up with other countries, there's gonna be tension because of all the culture clashes and whatnot. Sure, we were united 'gainst a common enemy and all that, but now there's no common enemy, all's we got now is leftover tension. And that, Colin, is why I ain't interested"

"You're afraid of a little tension?" Colin asked. "Sir, I know I shouldn't be speaking to my superiors like this, but…"

Grit turned around again, his expression still the same.

"I ain't your superior no more, Colin…" he reminded Colin as he turned to lean his shoulder against the wall. Colin was now a fully-fledged commanding officer on the same level as Grit was. The remainder silenced Colin, who took a couple of seconds to re-organize his thoughts before continuing.

"…Isn't this the whole point of the blind date?" Colin asked. "To relieve the tension you're talking about? Lots of people are going to do it, everyone's a little embarrassed but it's all just for…"

"You said it a million times, son" Grit interrupted, releasing a tired smile. Closing his eyes, he sighed. "Why ain't you takin' part then?" he asked.

"I'm too young…" Colin answered, his head drooping slightly. Grit waved his hand as if to dismiss Colin.

"Sorry, stupid question" he said nonchalantly.

"…Sasha's doing it, though" Colin revealed. Grit started to chuckle a little in response.

"Looks like she's the only one from Blue Moon doin' it then" he murmured. "She can be our representative, heh"

"Not if you do it too" Colin pressed. Grit tutted impatiently. He was beginning to feel annoyed by Colin's persistence; why did he want to see Grit go on a date so badly? Grit suspected that Colin was expecting some form of comedy from the move, and as a result wasn't too impressed. He folded his arms, hunching his head slightly as he looked down at Colin, whom he somewhat dwarfed with his tall, thin figure.

"Ain't you worried that I might end up datin' your sister?" he inquired, lifting an eyebrow.

"There's no chance of that" Colin explained defiantly against the raised eyebrow of Grit. "It's specifically randomised so no two commanding officers from the same country are paired. Besides, it would defeat the point of lowering tensions between the nations"

Grit sighed and walked towards the door. Grabbing the handle, he opened it, revealing the small reception on the other side of the door.

"Sorry Colin" he said. "I got a lot of work to do. Gonna have to ask you to leave now"

Colin sighed in response, kicking his feet softly against the floor. He quickly looked around, desperate to say something, but every time he looked at Grit's skeptical face, he couldn't muster any form of answer to his expression. Sighing, he pulled out a piece of folded paper and placed it on the desk above the dirtied papers that Grit's boots had previously been laid on.

"If you change your mind, then sign on that paper and send it to Orange Star HQ by the end of this week to take part" Colin explained. Grit replied by lifting his free hand and pointing to the reception. Colin watched his finger point for a second, before uttering one more impatient sigh, marching out of the room. Grit shook his head once he knew it was out of Colin's sight and quietly closed the door behind him. Staring to the floor, he exhaled quickly and shook his head again before placing his toothpick back in his mouth, proceeding towards the desk to continue his laziness.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A few hours had passed. Nearing nine in the evening, Grit's shift was about to come to an end. The remainder of his day had been rather uneventful: a couple of papers to sign here and there and commands to issue about moving artillery. There were no sightings of Black Hole troops, which had left Grit with a nice, lazy day for him to enjoy. Colin's words didn't play very much on his mind; he found himself occasionally eyeing the folded paper on the desk, but he had brushed it aside whilst signing authorisation papers. It now sat on the edge of the table, teetering, threatening to fall to the dirty ground and be forgotten forever.

Throwing his jacket on, Grit eyes the room one last time to see if he hadn't forgotten anything. The map was in place, his to-do pile non-existent. His side safely holstered his six-shooter and he had his toothpick and his cassette player for the ride home. He contemplated what he was going to do with the day off he had coming the following morning. Sitting around and doing little seemed to be on the agenda.

As he slid his arms into the long, beige coat, there was a delicate knock on the door.

"Come on in" Grit called swiftly. The door opened and in walked Sasha, all dressed in her commanding officer's uniform. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and her CO's hat neatly placed on her head.

"Good evening, Grit" Sasha said as she stepped into the room, allowing the door to shut behind her.

"Howdy, Sasha" Grit greeted back. "Didn't expect to see you here, I thought just me and Colin were working the south border patrol today?"

"I have the night shift" Sasha revealed, to which Grit grimaced slightly. The night shift was never an easy one for most, although Grit spent his night shifts sleeping.

"Huh, go figure" Grit mumbled. "Guess servin' the country has its down side, eh?"

Sasha walked to the top of the desk, placing her briefcase down before opening it. She moved with a very busy pace, never ceasing her activities as she talked. It was a stark contrast to Grit's lethargic movements.

"Ah, it's not so bad" Sasha explained as she leafed through the many documents in her briefcase. Grit couldn't see inside of it, but he could tell it was full of papers. He shot a quick glance to his own papers, which he had picked up from the table and placed on top of a filing cabinet in the corner of the room. It wasn't an impressive sight. "I have a bunch of cadets coming in in about half an hour or so, I'm going to put them through their paces. Not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I'll think of something"

"Why don't you put 'em through some obstacle courses and then get them comfy with the tanks and bazookas?" Grit suggested.

"I was thinking something with the tanks" Sasha replied, pulling out a couple of folders and laying them on the desk. "I wanted to ask you if I could take command of them for the night?"

"Go right ahead" Grit said, smiling. He watched as Sasha them produced another document from the briefcase, to which he sighed. "Another authorisation paper? What's Olaf think we're gonna do, drive 'em into the river or something?"

"It's just the way he is" Sasha explained, her eyes fixed downwards towards where she placed the document. It was on a clipboard with a pen stuck at the top. "He likes to keep track of his patrols; I guess it's hard to blame him when he's responsible for our national security. Sign here, please"

Grit sighed and took the pen from the clipboard as Sasha pointed to the bottom of the document. At the end of the fine print was a line for Grit to sign. Planting his messy, curly signature, he looked up at Sasha, who was still unpacking her briefcase.

"May as well be signin' my retirement papers" Grit mumbled. "Geez, what am I thinkin'? It's gonna be ages before I retire"

He handed the document to Sasha, who took it from Grit with a smile, placing it back in her briefcase. With all her papers neatly set out on the table, she closed the briefcase and walked to the filing cabinet, putting the briefcase down next to it. As she did, Grit spotted the folded paper from the corner of his eye. He remembered what Colin had said and curiosity started to grow inside him. With little resistance, he closed his eyes, sighing to himself.

"Your little brother said you was doin' the blind date thingy?" Grit asked. Sasha turned around and looked at Grit.

"Oh, yeah, I am" she said quickly, fully turning around and leaning against the filing cabinet. "…Colin said you weren't doing it. Am I right?" she asked. Grit sensed the tone of her voice and leaned back against the wall at the other side of the room.

"You don't sound too happy 'bout that" Grit said.

"Well I'm doing it" Sasha reiterated, walking up to the chair at the end of the table. She was about to pull it out to sit down when Grit pushed himself up from against the wall.

"How come?" Grit asked. "I didn't crack you to be the datin' type. Besides, don't you and Jake have something goin' on between you two?"

A twinge of disappointment appeared on Sasha's face as he looked down to the floor. A harsh memory had crossed her mind, but she quickly stamped it out and looked back up to Grit.

"Not anymore" she revealed. "It didn't work out the way we hoped. It's…amicably settled"

"So what if he's doin' this dating thing too?" Grit questioned. "You're still goin' ahead with this, knowing fully well that you might just end up with Jake on the opposite side of the dinner table?"

"That's not going to happen" Sasha cut across quickly. "I specified that we're not to be paired"

"How'd you do that?" Grit asked, his eyebrow raising once again.

"On the paper we were given to send in, didn't you get one?" Sasha asked. Grit eyeballed to the folded paper that still teetered at the edge of the table.

"So what if you end up with…I dunno, Hawke?" Grit hypothesised. Sasha shrugged her shoulders in response.

"I'm a fully grown woman now" she explained. "I can date who I want. Be it Hawke or otherwise, I think I can hold my own in conversation with any of the guys"

There was a short silence between the two. Grit kept his gaze on the floor, as did Sasha.

"I ain't doing it" Grit said after a short silence.

"Colin told me" Sasha added, looking up at Grit, who hadn't moved his own head. "Although neither of us could understand your reasoning for not wanting to take part. Something to do with…I don't know, actually, why don't you want to do it?" Sasha asked. Another short silence followed Sasha's question.

"Frankly, I can't give no words myself" Grit admitted, looked up to Sasha. He shrugged his shoulders as the next word slurred from his mouth in doubt. "I…it just…the idea don't sit well with me, y'know?"

"Doesn't sit well…in what way?" Sasha asked. She felt the need to probe deeper: "How does the thought of it make you feel?"

Grit put a hand to his lower chest/stomach area. His eyes crunched up slightly in a sickly manner.

"I dunno, I kinda feel somethin' around my stomach area" Grit described. "I lose my appetite a little"

"You mean you're nervous?" Sasha suggested.

"…I guess so" Grit admitted, sighing to himself.

"Well, it's only natural" Sasha continued, walking up to the same wall as Grit, leaning against it with her hand. "I've known you long enough to see that you don't **ever** get nervous. Not when we're all out on the battlefield; I remember when the deciding battle against Von Bolt was coming up and everybody around was holding each other's hands and hugging, all feeding off each other's nerves and trying to vent it out somehow. But I kept looking at you; you were always leaning against something, with that toothpick in your mouth, you looked as if it was just another day on the job. With pretty much the world at stake, you didn't bat an eyelid"

Grit gave an acknowledging blink as he moved away from the wall and walked towards the desk, leaning his behind against it. He put his hands in his coat pockets, sighing quietly to himself. Sasha turned herself slightly to face him and continued to talk.

"You know, I've always admired that trait of yours" Sasha spoke quietly. "I wish that I had your composure. The cadets…"

"You're right, Sasha" Grit interrupted, gazing blankly towards the wall. "I am nervous. It's not often I get this kinda feeling. Now and then when things are lookin' dicey I get this gut feeling of mine. But now, everything's safe. So it must be the prospect of this blind date that's makin' me nervous"

"…I'm nervous too" Sasha revealed. Grit looked up at Sasha, who still leaned against the wall. "I'm nervous thinking about who my date is going to be"

There was another silence between the two before Grit stood back up on his feet and picked up the folded paper. He started towards the door.

"You know what, I might consider it" Grit said.

"You will?" Sasha asked, her voice filled with gladness. Grit grabbed the door handle and opened the door before turning to look at Sasha.

"…I guess I ain't alone in feelin' nervous about it" Grit explained. "…That makes me feel a bit better. Thanks for the chat" he thanked.

"It's no problem" Sasha answered. "Let me know if you send it"

"I will. Gotta go now, jeep's waitin'" Grit explained. "Night, Sasha"

"Good night, Grit" Sasha replied as Grit nodded, walking out of the door and out of sight.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Within two weeks of having the conversation with Sasha, Grit found himself sitting in the back of a black car being driven towards an unknown destination. The decision to sign the paper had been a long and arduous one. Many times during his rounds, Grit found himself sitting with his feet up on his desk, rested against his orders with the paper in his hand. He read over the words on the paper multiple times, making sure that there was absolutely no chance of a misunderstanding. He came close to signing it many times before stopping himself to read it once more. It was one of the hardest decisions he had made in a very long time. Even commanding armies wasn't as hard as this, he thought. Even college wasn't as hard as this.

A week ago, he finally signed the paper to participate, and a week after that, here he was, being driven.

A black window, stopping Grit from being able to see the chauffer, blocked off the front of the car. The side windows were tinted, but the black of the night meant that Grit was unable to see anything outside of the window anyhow. Grit was dressed in a suit and maroon tie. Gone was his military coat and hat; his hair was brushed as neatly as it could be. Wisps of hair had resisted the combing, but overall, he didn't look too bad. Grit was cleanly shaven, dressed and ready to do a date.

But with who?

As the car continued to drive, Grit focused on all the sounds around him. He could hear the sounds of the indicator clicking away before the car turned; he sensed the shifting of gears. Sometimes, the car was fast, other times it was slow. Grit could only imagine where he was being taken to, and who would be sat opposite him in the car. Strangely enough, he didn't feel as nervous as he did when he signed the paper. Right now, it was just him and the car noises, and that was alright.

The car journey, which had started outside of Grit's base camp (he was coming straight from a shift), lasted about forty minutes before there was a space of a couple of minutes where the car remained at slow speeds. Grit clicked onto this fact and realized that any minute, the car could stop. He gripped the leather upholstery slightly with his hands and looked at his slightly untucked shirt: this was it. This was the moment that would define the night. How he wished he had his toothpick to chew on, he thought.

The car stopped and Grit could hear the chauffer's door opening. Footsteps. Suddenly, the sounds of heels clacking against a stone floor. This was it, he thought. The blind date was here.

As the door opened, Grit caught sight of the blind date. Dressed in a short white dress, he watched as she stepped into the car and sat down on the seat. In short, Grit was pleased.

"Why howdy, Sami!" he greeted as she sat down. A short smile broke out on Sami's face; Grit could tell that there was a sense of relief in the air.

"Hello, Grit!" Sami responded as the chauffer shut the door behind her. "Well, I wasn't expecting this!"

"Neither was I" Grit replied, watching as Sami belted herself in. "Had to admit, I was gettin' nervous" The two chuckled a little as they felt the engine of the car starting.

"Do you know where we're going?" Sami asked. Grit shrugged in response. He was still feeling a bit nervous; Grit struggled to keep his eyes off of her legs. They were rather radiant, even in the dimmed lights of the isolated backseat. She really had made an effort, he thought.

"No clue" Grit replied, leaning back in his seat. "It's gotta be somewhere good though, right?"

The talk throughout the car journey was small and sporadic. Neither wanted to say too much to each other; both were scared of the prospect of silence falling upon each other during the date. Despite initially feeling relaxed, Grit started to feel the gravity of the situation dawning on him. Looking towards Sami, who had taken a brief reprieve from their stop-start conversation to look out of the tinted windows, the questions filled Grit's head. Why were they going on a date? Surely there wasn't any tension between them in the first place? How easy was it going to be to talk about things that weren't related to war?

As Grit turned his head to the window to address his own thoughts, Sami turned her head to look at Grit. Questions of her own flew into her head independent of Grit's thoughts. How could this man be so calm? Was it going to be a good night? Was her hair fixed just the way she wanted it? What if it was Grimm who was sat on the other side of the car?

Eventually, the car came to a stop, and the two were snapped out of their thoughts. Looking around, Sami was about to start speaking when her car door opened, revealing the chauffer.

"We have arrived at Maison du Monde" he explained. Sami looked to Grit, whose eyebrows furrowed upon hearing the name. She chuckled slightly; Sami knew that Grit wasn't the kind for fancy or complicated names. His was a character that preferred simplicity.

As they undid their belts, Sami started to talk.

"This place looks nice" she commented, stepping out onto the wet pavement outside. Judging by the droplets of rain that had stuck to the car window, it had recently been raining. Grit awkwardly shuffled his way across the seats and exited the same door as Sami, which confused the chauffer a little. As he stood up straight, he dug into his pocket, pulling out a bill.

"Thanks for the ride" Grit thanked with a small, nervous smile, handing the chauffer the bill.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir, we don't accept tips" the chauffer retaliated, waving his hand to dismiss the money.

"You sure?" Grit asked, hand still stretched out with the bill in hand. The chauffer shook his head in response, prompting Grit to shrug and put the money back in his pocket. The chauffer then produced a business card from his pocket, handing it to Grit.

"If you need my services, this is my card" the chauffer explained. As Sami started to head into the restaurant, Grit winked at the chauffer as a way of thanking him, before following Sami into the restaurant. Stepping on the boundary between indoors and outdoors, Grit examined the fancy décor inside the building. Anxious, he turned his head one last time to the outdoors, gulping and giving a sigh before turning around and allowing himself to be swallowed by the high life.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Once they were sat down and the orders for drinks had been taken, Sami started to talk straight away.

"Wow, I didn't think we'd be going somewhere as fancy as this" she wondered. Noticing the strange expression on Grit's face, she could tell that he wasn't used to this kind of atmosphere. "You look pretty bewildered by it all"

Grit, quickly noticing that his eyes were wandering around the room, turned his attention towards Sami.

"Yeah…" he said quietly. "I ain't used to these kinds of places. I'm more of a bar guy"

"Me too" Sami agreed, leaning her elbows on the table. She cupped her hands together and sat her head upon them. "Nothing beats beers with the soldiers after a good fight, eh?"

This was strange, Grit thought. Sami appeared somewhat enthusiastic by the whole thing. He himself was still feeling nervous by the whole idea of a date; the familiar feelings of hesitation when he was confronted with the idea were resurfacing in his head. He had the idea of going to the toilet and waiting there, but even Grit knew that it would be rude to leave your date hanging.

He cursed himself silently. Grit couldn't understand why he was feeling frustrated already. It had been ages since he was last on a date. Back then he was younger, even more carefree. Looking at Sami, who was still in her relaxed state, he started to think of the questions that bobbed about in his mind. How come she was so relaxed? Surely it was Sami who was supposed to be nervous? Did his breath smell? Did he just smell in general?

Realizing that he hadn't said anything in a while, Grit quickly thought of something to talk about. Quickly scanning his eyes around, he could only think of one question.

"You go on a lot of dates?" he asked. Sami perched herself back up in her seat, just as perky as before.

"When I get the time, yeah" she answered. "I like them, even if it's just with a friend, you get to know a lot about people"

Shuffling in his seat, he watched as Sami continued to speak. "How about you?"

"I ain't usually the kind for datin'" he explained. "Last date I went on…hmm…was a long time ago now. Back in my Orange Star days"

"Was that with Nell?" Sami asked. Grit silently wished that the name hadn't come up already, although he had expected it. Sighing, he twitched his face a little and rubbed his nose, discomforted by the name. Sami noticed this straight away.

"Oh…I'm sorry" she said quietly. "Is it not something you like talking about?"

Grit waved his hand to pardon Sami.

"It's fine" he replied, urging a smile. "You didn't mean no harm by it"

This was going awkwardly, Grit thought. A few minutes in and the apologies and forgiveness were already coming out. Just in time, the waiter arrived with the drinks.

"The house beer for you" the waiter said, handing a full, clear, amber pint glass to Sami. "And the Desperados for you, sir" The waiter placed the bottle next to Grit. "I shall be back momentarily to take your orders. Enjoy"

As the waiter left, Grit took a firm grip on his bottle.

"Heh, they speak so fancy here" Grit mumbled to himself. "An 'I'll be back' woulda done fine" He watched as Sami took hold of her pint glass, her hand looking delicate against it. To the common eye, it would have gone unnoticed, but Grit quickly noticed the thin silver ring on Sami's middle finger.

"Well, cheers" Sami toasted.

"To a good night" Grit added. Clinking glasses, they drank their respective beverages. Placing his bottle down, Grit's eyes quickly noticed the lip print left on the edge of Sami's pint glass. A small wave of nerves washed over Grit, sending a shiver down his spine. Sometimes he wished his eyesight wasn't so good.

"I gotta say…" Grit started, catching Sami's attention straight away. "…I didn't think you'd be the kinda girl who was into drinkin' beer and such"

A look of intrigue broke across Sami's face as Grit question hit home.

"Really?" she asked. "How come?" Grit gulped, why did he feel like he was being put on the spot?

"Well…you just don't look it" Grit explained haphazardly. An image came into Grit's head, solving his awkward explanation. "Like, y'know Jess? Now she looks like a gal who enjoys all the powerful drinks. No offense to her, or you either for that matter"

Sami started to giggle a little, prompting Grit to chuckle a little as well. As he sipped his beer, Sami cleared her throat in a very ladylike manner.

"None taken" she answered. "I'm used to it. When you're a girl in the army, the guys tend to get a bit iffy around you. You just have to show 'em you got what it takes to be hang with them. I could beat up half the guys in the squadron back home anyhow. I'd probably drink the rest under the table"

The waiter reappeared, ready to take the pair's orders. It was at this moment that Grit realized he hadn't even glanced at the food menu. The waiter turned to him.

"What shall you have, sir?" he asked. Quickly, Grit looked at Sami, opening his menu.

"You go first, I just need to peek at somethin'" he said quickly. Obliging, Sami started to make her order whilst Grit hurriedly looked at the menu. To his horror, most of the food was in French, a language he couldn't understand to save his life. As he looked, a sense of relief filled him when he spotted the steak in the main course list. Grit was a big fan of steaks, and if he could have the date his way, they would be in a steakhouse, eating away. All he needed to do was get the starter right. But before he could make an educated guess at some of the choices, the waiter turned to him.

"And yourself, sir?" he asked. It was time for an impulse decision.

"Uh…I'll start with the pow-let" he said. Suddenly, Sami started to giggle as the waiter's face twitched slightly.

"…The poulet" he corrected, writing the order down. "And for main course?"

Embarrassed by the mispronunciation, Grit cleared his throat.

"Steak" he said quickly, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

"Excellent choice, sir" the waiter said. "How would you like it cooked?"

"Uh…medium rare" Grit answered, the temperature beneath his collar soaring to unbelievable levels after his blunder. He could feel the sweat congregating beneath his armpits due to the little incident. The waiter completed noting down the order and promptly left. Anxious, Grit swiftly turned his head back towards Sami.

"What?" he asked, clearly flustered by what had happened.

"Nothing" Sami said, suppressing her laughter. "It's just how you mispronounced 'chicken' in French"

"Chicken?" Grit asked. "That's what I ordered?" As Sami confirmed his query, all Grit could do in response was drink some more of his beer. The bottle of Desperados was almost empty already. Grit felt like chugging as much beer as he could to calm himself down.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When the starters had arrived, both Grit and Sami found themselves chomping right through the delicate food. During the short eating period, they noticed how they both finished their food quickly. Taking down the last of the three bites that made up his meal, Grit dreamt of the steakhouse they could have been at and prayed that the upcoming steak was going to actually be the proper size.

"That didn't last long" Sami commented as Grit swallowed the last of his starter. She spoke in a slightly cheeky voice; Grit felt impulse to parry back.

"You can talk, missy" Grit replied, noticing the speed at which Sami had also finished her starter. A small smile crept up on Sami's lips before she continued talking.

"So, how are things in Blue Moon?" Sami asked. Grit was busy wiping his mouth with a napkin when the question was asked.

"Nothin' much happening" he replied. "Things have gone pretty quiet since the war" A small smile broke out on his face as he remembered the solitude of home. "I like it that way, y'know?"

"I kinda miss the war, in a way" Sami revealed.

"Whoa…" Grit hummed. "You mean to say you miss all the fighting and stuff?"

Sami's eyes opened in surprise, realizing that she had been misunderstood. She quickly shook her head.

"Oh, no, no!" she replied quickly. "No, not like that! I'm glad the fighting is done. What I mean is…well, everybody was so close together when we were fighting Black Hole. Now, it's just back to the day job of training the troops and leading sorties. I kinda wish we could all meet up and have that same feeling of excitement, you know what I mean?" Sami asked. Grit nodded in response, sipping at his second bottle of Desperados.

"Yep, I know the feeling" he mumbled. "Maybe the fights themselves weren't too pretty to get through, but seeing all the guys again was good fun. The late night victory parties…suppose that's why we're here anyhow"

"Yeah, you're right" Sami replied. "There isn't really much happening in Orange Star. I've only been in one battle since the war ended, and that was just sorting out Black Hole stragglers"

"I can tell you ain't one for peace and quiet" Grit noted. Sami cocked her head slightly; Grit watched as her hair fell slightly. It radiated somewhat in the low light of the restaurant; Grit suddenly clocked that there was a candle on the table that did nothing to enhance the light. He also noticed the pictures of landscapes and horizons that were hung in portraits on the wall.

"Go on…" Sami coaxed. Grit snapped out of his analytical trance, confused.

"What?" he asked.

"You were saying that I wasn't 'one for peace and quiet' or something" she explained. "Care to explain?" She acted playfully around him as she mentioned it; Grit was on edge. Why was she being so forward with him? He knew she was usually quite a forward person, but was she put off at all by the context of their meeting?

"Uh…" Grit stammered. "Ah, I dunno" he flapped his hands lightly as if to dismiss the question. "I was just runnin' my mouth, as usual"

The waiter appeared and took away their plates. Grit was closing in towards the end of his second bottle and could start to feel the alcohol taking effect. But it didn't calm him down, as he had desired. He felt the same as he did when he first walked in, except with a looser sense of gravity.

Sami seemed to fall quiet and for a good minute, the two were just sat at the table, shuffling about in their chairs, sipping away at their drinks and looking about them. Nothing was coming to Grit's mind and he was struggling to make conversation. Seeing the date slowly plunging down the toilet, he felt nervous pressure on his chest. He knew before long, he would start sweating and things would get worse. Closing his eyes, he did what he did worst: thought fast.

"I…I gotta go to the men's room" he said finally, catching Sami's attention. Standing up and straightening his cheap suit, he started to walk. "Won't be a minute, darlin'"

Grit briskly walked towards the toilet, making his way to cubicle. As he did, he locked the door, listened carefully to hear if anyone else was in, and upon discovering that he was alone, sat down on the toilet and sighed. Rubbing his hands across his face, he allowed his vision to blur as he delved deep into his thoughts.

" _This ain't goin' well"_ he thought to himself, closing his eyes. He could feel his heart pumping heavily from the nerves of the date. " _I ain't used to this kinda thing. Sami's a lovely girl and all that, she's darn pretty too. She also got a lot to say. She's really tryin' so why can't I get myself together? Why am I sweatin' so much?"_

He felt his hands were clammy and rubbed them against his trousers. His thoughts were running wild in his head, one negative thought directly leading to another like a chain reaction. Everything started to feel bad.

" _I dunno whether I should just call this thing off_ " he continued. _"She'll understand if I ain't feelin' too well. I'm just not ready to be doing this kinda thing yet. I need…I need a little more time, that's all. I'll be back on this dating thing, just after a little while. Right, better go tell her the bad news. Ah, I hope she don't go cryin' now…_ "

Grit looked up at himself in the mirror and studied his face carefully. Thoughts upon thoughts waved through his mind like a relentless sea. Thoughts about Sami, about cancelling the date, about himself. Had he done something wrong? Did Sami like him? Did he like Sami? He couldn't understand why, but the simplest thing seemed to trigger a cascade of bad, negative thoughts in his mind. A few minutes ago he was okay, but suddenly, he felt as if he was in Hell.

He washed his face in the cubicle basin and looked back up at himself in the mirror, studying his face with intensity. He noticed the bags under his eyes, the few grey hairs that dotted his head, the unruliness of his goatee. He looked horrible, he thought.

" _Damn it all…"_ he thought feverently. His chest began to feel a little tight as he winced in pain. _"Please don't tell me it's happening again…_ "

Without another second, he quickly dried his face and walked out of the toilets.

As Grit walked back in and sat down in his chair, he saw that the food had just been delivered. His steak was small, discomforting, and served with a fancy looking salad that didn't really appeal to Grit's eye. He felt guilty to have to put an end to the date so early, but he could see the signs of a bad night right off the bat. A list of things filed up in Grit's head that were his signs: weird conversation, weird restaurant, weird food, and weird feelings. Everything was just weird, and it unnerved Grit to no extent.

As Sami looked up to him, he took a deep breath, ready to deliver the news that he wanted out. He knew it was selfish, but Grit just didn't feel comfortable. And he knew that if it wasn't comfortable, then it wasn't really worth doing.

"…Grit, are you okay?" Sami asked suddenly before Grit could get the chance to speak.

"Huh?" Grit hummed as he saw the look of concern in Sami's eyes.

"I asked if you were okay" Sami repeated. "I've noticed something in the thirty five minutes or so we've been sat here. You're not yourself"

Uh oh, he thought. Was his anxiety showing that badly? "Er…what do you mean?" he asked, trying to bat the question away. It was a futile attempt, and the two knew it.

"Well…" Sami murmured uncomfortably. She shifted a little in her seat, choosing her words carefully. "You're usually so calm about everything, but here, I see that you're shifting about a lot; there's a quiver in your voice…you just don't look very happy" she said. She'd hit it on the head, he thought. Time to come clean. Thinking about how to put his words, Grit began his explanation with an elongated sigh.

"Sami, it's not you…" Grit started, taking a bite of his steak. It was good steak. _Too good_. The imperfections, like the chewy fat or the slightly tough bits, were not there. To Grit, it lacked character, and so did the starter. Swallowing, he continued. "It's…it's a mix of things. First of all, I ain't been on a date in so long; I hope you understand that it's not easy for me sittin' here. It's like putting a sprinter in the shot putt circle, or puttin' Max in a rocket truck, you know what I'm talking about?"

"I understand, Grit" Sami said quietly. Grit was surprised that she hadn't broken down or started to sulk or anything. On the contrary, she was listening intently to him. He continued.

"And this place…" he gestured, waving his hands around as if he were pointing in no particular direction. "Why's everything got to be so fancy? Why's the portions so small, why are there pictures of fields on the wall, why do we have some small candle on our table? I just don't get it"

"You're saying this place unnerves you?" Sami asked. Grit looked around himself again, trying to take in everything.

"Just because you're the biggest…it don't mean you're the best" Grit said. "I've always been a firm believer of that sayin'. It's ringing so true here; just cause you got gold on the walls doesn't mean the place is foolin' me. I mean, this steak…" he explained, gesturing to his food. "Where's the wedges or the big salad, or the ranch dressing you can get with it? I mean, here it's just a steak and a bunch of whatever, just mumbo jumbo" He gave an exasperated wave to his plate, illustrating his point. Sami identified the 'mumbo jumbo' as ratatouille, but she let the point slide. "That starter too, it took me three bites, sure it was nice tastin', but I like my meals to be…you know, meals!" Grit started to chuckle in exasperation as he explained his distaste for the restaurant. Sami started to chuckle a little as well. Grit felt a sense of release in letting it all out, and seeing Sami chuckle finally made him feel a little more comfortable for the first time all night.

"I get what you mean" Sami spoke. "…In all honesty, I'm feeling the same way. Okay, maybe I can understand the décor and the size of the portions, but this place has no true character. I'd rather a pub lunch; now _they're_ delicious at the right time"

"I think you hit it right there" Grit interrupted.

"Hm?" Sami hummed.

"It's the timing" Grit said. "Maybe if we were celebratin' something big, then it would make sense to come here. But this is a date, why did Nell think to send us here?"

"It must be her way of life" Sami guessed. "…So, do you want to call it a night after this?" she asked. Grit felt a twinge in his chest; his eyes closed without his knowledge for a second, almost as if he had taken a hit to the heart. He'd contemplated ending the night, but now he felt a little more comfortable. Perhaps he could make it through and even enjoy himself. His cascading thoughts had slowed and Grit felt more control of his mind, and ultimately, more positive about things.

"Ah, I can't say that" he crooned sorrowfully. "I mean, you came all this way, and you took all that time to make yourself look pretty and such…"

"Thanks" Sami thanked quietly upon hearing the compliment. Grit saw her eyes looking at him again, the nerves started to build up once more. Putting them aside as best as he could, he cleared his throat. "I'm just thinkin'…I dunno"

Grit was at a crossroads. Nerves returning, he was now stuck with his two decisions. Call it a night, or rough it out in the posh restaurant? He was struggling to make up his mind, until a brainwave hit him. Even Sami could envision the light bulb turning on above Grit's head as his face brightened.

"…I remember you said you like drinkin' at bars, right?" Grit asked. Once again, Sami's eyes opened slightly with surprise, before they shut a little. She leant slightly over the table.

"Yeah, I do" she answered. Grit let out a small smile, now this was better, he thought.

"I know a nice, quiet bar a couple of blocks down the road" he explained. "Let's say we skedaddle out of here and have us a proper time, what do you say?" he offered.

"Let's go" Sami said with a hushed excitement. The fancy sojourn quickly came to its conclusion then and there. They quickly finished the rest of their food and hastily called a waiter to bring the bill. They paid haphazardly, probably leaving a massive tip behind on accident. But it didn't matter. Grit and Sami were going somewhere to have a real date.

And as they walked out of the restaurant, Grit cast a thought back to a few minutes ago when he was in the toilet, sinking into despair. It had been a while since he had felt like that, and worried that an old problem was rising again. But hopefully, now that things were set to pick up, he could put the episode behind him and continue strongly. Smiling to himself, Grit told himself what he would tell everybody else in life:

 _"It's all gonna be okay…_ "


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

One short walk later and both Grit and Sami had made their way into The Forest, a small pub on the corner of the same block as the restaurant. Inside, it was small and cozy: old oak beams held up the ceiling, the walls and the bar and the creaky floor gave the pub a very homely feel. There was a pool table in one corner of the room, illuminated by a fancy hanging light and there was a staircase up to the second floor, presumably where the toilets or further seating areas were. There were a few people inside the pub; couples, friends and the like, and everybody seemed to be having a good time.

Sitting down by two free stools at the old oak bar, Grit ordered two pints of the house beer. He felt some happiness well inside of him as he looked around the pub; it made him even happier to know that Sami appeared comfortable as well, despite the two being a little overdressed for the occasion. Now THIS was a real place to take a lady on a date, Grit thought. Not some fancy restaurant.

"Two house beers" the barman said as Grit handed him the same bill he tried to tip the chauffer with. As the cash machine opened, the two raised their glasses.

"To good health" Sami said, and the two clinked glasses. Taking a hearty sip of his beer, Grit exhaled and put the cold pint glass down.

"Now this is more like it" he said with a smile. "Nothin' fussy about this place. Just good honest beer and some good honest fun to be had"

"I have to say, Grit…" Sami added. "…I agree with you completely. That fancy restaurant back there wasn't my kind of thing. Who does Nell think we are, Colin's family or something?"

Grit started to laugh at the joke, watching as Sami drunk a little more. The slight tipsiness he felt at the restaurant was still lingering, but it felt all right now. The context was just perfect to allow himself to slur a little. He couldn't tell how drunken Sami was; perhaps she was right in bragging about her alcohol tolerance? Conversation now seemed to come easy; Grit could think of a lot more he wanted to chat about.

"So, I wanted to compliment you on somethin'" Grit started. Sami chuckled in her usual manner, although the slight forwardness didn't intimidate Grit anymore.

"Oh yeah?" she asked. She shot Grit another of her cheeky looks, which went straight over Grit's head.

"…I remember when we all met up during the last war" Grit started. "And some of the fights that we took part in. I gotta say, you're pretty good with indirect units"

"Really?" Sami asked. "Y-you think so?"

She appeared flattered by the remark; Grit nodded is response.

"I mean, I don't think it's no secret to either of us that you ain't the kind for straight up fighting with tanks and such" Grit explained, to which Sami agreed with a thoughtful nod. "But bein' an infantry specialist and stuff, I thought maybe you wouldn't be so good with artillery and stuff either. Turns out you're not too bad"

Sami digested the information for a little, drinking away at her beer. Grit noticed that she was drinking a lot faster than he was; quickly sipping his own beer, he kept his attention on Sami as she responded.

"I never really paid much notice to it" she explained. "Although I have to admit, I do feel more comfortable dealing with things from afar"

"Well, you're better than Maxie, anyhow" Grit joked. "Have you seen that guy tryin' to work the rockets?" Sami started to giggle as Grit continued his story. "Give that guy a gun, tell him to shoot a target and he'll be busy all day! I mean, I could blindfold you now and you'd still do a better job than him!"

Both Sami and Grit laughed at poor Max's expense. Calming himself, Grit drunk a little more as Sami's laughing receded.

"He's a bit dull in that way, I guess" Sami said. "I remember once he actually got artillery and rockets mixed up in a command order; the look the artillery gunners gave him when they found out how far the target was!" Both Grit and Sami laughed loudly at the story; both could imagine Max flustering over command papers while flustered artillery pilots looked on in awe.

Then, Sami stopped her laughing, she wagged her finger though. "But don't discredit the guy when it comes to direct combat"

Grit shuddered at the thought of Max's tanks destroying everything in their path.

"Tell me about it" Grit continued. "Maybe we're laughin', but when it comes to tanks and stuff, he's top notch. There's no way I could match him in a direct fight, that's for sure. I'd be nowhere without some covering fire. I remember the days back in military school; when it came to simulated fights and stuff, he'd give me tips on workin' with tanks, and I'd return the favor by drilling things like rocket physics and stuff into his head. I don't think neither of us would have graduated if it weren't for those late nights, heh" Grit smiled as he remembered the days of military school. His head looked up to the air slightly as the visions of fond memories filled his head. Sami looked on at his reminiscing; seeing Grit finally comfortable made her feel happy in her own way.

"…So why is it that you're such a big fan of long distance weaponry?" Sami asked. Grit snapped out of his trance, only half the question making it to his head.

"What's that about long distance weaponry?" he asked.

"Why do you rely on them so much?" Sami asked again. She watched as Grit leant his arm against the bar and tapped his finger quietly against the wood, thinking. Lifting his hand and rapping his knuckles against the wood, it was as if he was organizing notes on the bar.

"You know me" he said finally. "Take a guess"

A look of confusion came across Sami's face as the question reached her ears.

"Uh, why?" she asked. "Is it something personal?"

"Nah, nothin' like that" Grit said quickly, dismissing the notion. "More about just the way I am"

"Well you're laid back" Sami started. "Sometimes to a fault. You just don't strike me as someone who'd get in a fist fight"

"Pretty good guess" Grit answered with a smile. Playing with his goatee, he drunk a bit more of his beer. Since spotting Sami's progress on him in the drinking department, he made a conscious effort to take bigger gulps. "It's true: I never liked fighting face to face. I'm a bit of a yellow belly when it comes to that"

"You, yellow bellied?" Sami exclaimed. "Please! You're the most fearless person I know! No matter how big the battle, you were always so laid back, almost as if you never took anything seriously!"

"Now there" Grit interrupted. "I didn't say I never took anythin' seriously. When it comes to war, you gotta take it seriously. I just don't let myself get flustered by anything. If a guy came up to me with a gun, I'd probably run. But give me a warning before he comes and I'd cap him with my six shooter some good distance before he even gets to know me" he explained. "Plus, I'm real protective of my guys, you know? Sometimes I get a bit of the guilt attacks coming on when I don't see my boys in the tanks or the helicopters doing such a good job. That's why I'm always on hand with some indirect units. I like my guys at the front to feel as safe as they can. You get what I'm sayin'?" Grit asked. Sami nodded in response, finishing her beer. Grit shot a quick glance at his glass; it was two thirds empty. He already felt a bit drunk but Sami seemed to be more controlled. How did she do it?

"I understand, Grit" Sami replied. "Maybe that's why I'm not so bad with artillery myself. Infantry are integral to any battle, but even with my skills, they're still vulnerable to most weapons. That's why a little cover from a large distance goes a long way" Grit started to chuckle as Sami spoke the last sentence on a very oratory fashion.

"Now that's a mantra I can get used to real easy" he noted, gulping down his beer. He left one morsel behind to finish off. "You know something? I bet you and me would make a good team out of the field!"

Sami's face lit up with a little excitement. She shuffled her chair closer to Grit, leaning slightly towards him as she leant against the bar.

"You think?" she asked. Grit hummed a 'yes' to her; his hand was clutching his beer tightly. He didn't think she realized how close she was getting.

"You'd best believe it" Grit answered. "Maybe we ain't too good with direct combat. But with my indirect units covering the field, your infantry would have free reign to capture everything in sight while I pepper the enemy with rockets. Sounds like a formula for success to me"

"So let's agree on it" Sami said suddenly as Grit finished his drink. Shuffling for money in her purse, she signaled to the barman.

"A whisky" she ordered. Looking to Grit: "And you?"

As surprised as Grit was by Sami's forwardness, he shot his eyes to the array of liquors in store at the bar.

"I'll have a cognac" Grit ordered. The barman produced two shot glasses and proceeded to pour the two their respective drinks as Sami produced exact change. With thanks for the barman, the two took their drinks.

"Here's to whenever the next fight comes along" she said, lifting her glass.

"Whenever it looks like trouble's knockin', you give me a call" Grit added, lifting his own glass. They toasted and downed their drinks in one gulp. Grit felt the cognac go down easily: he was used to drinking strong alcohol. However, he watched as Sami grimaced a little. He could tell it was the kind of grimace that didn't indicate the power of the drink. It indicated the lack of her experience in heavy drinking, the subtle need to impress perhaps? Did Grit exert that much influence on her?

"You don't look like you enjoyed that too much" Grit noted. Noticing that she had been grimacing, Sami quickly brought her face back to normal, as if nothing happened.

"Just a little strong, that's all" she quickly defended. She watched as Grit's chest started to pump a little as he chuckled quietly to himself. "What?"

"Ah, nothin'" he said. "Just take it a little easier. I'm enjoyin' myself now; last thing I want is for you to start heaving up that dinner we just had"

"I'll be fine" Sami quickly defended.

"I'm sure you will be, you're a strong girl" Grit spoke. "Here: next round's on me. Barman? Two house beers, my friend"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Once the two glasses of beer had arrived, Grit and Sami toasted again. The two were feeling pretty confident and Grit knew that the more sensitive topics of conversation always arose after a few beers. He could only wonder with Sami's forwardness: what she going to talk about next? Before she could speak, Grit took a swift examination of what he could see. She seemed a little drunker now; strangely enough, he didn't feel quite as tipsy. A controversial topic arose in his head; dare he talk about it. Feeling risky, he took a breath and hoped he wasn't crossing any lines.

"So how come you agreed to this date?" he asked. Grit fired the question whilst Sami was mid-sip. Her closed eyes opened upon hearing the question and she put her glass down. Leaning back towards Grit, she put on a face.

"Well, I could ask you the same thing" she fired back. A challenge, Grit thought.

"So who's gonna shoot first?" Grit asked, his tone of voice changing slightly to accommodate the challenge. Sami snorted in response, leaning back a little.

"You're the sharpshooter" she replied. "Maybe your answer will hit the target better than mine can"

Grit wasn't quite sure what she meant by that, but shrugged his shoulders and conceded.

"I'll be honest with you, darlin'" Grit started. "I weren't too sure whether I was going to do this or not"

"You weren't sure?" Sami asked. Grit shrugged and sipped his beer.

"I had my doubts" Grit replied. "It took some convincing from both Colin and Sasha to agree to do it. Well, at the time I didn't know you'd be my date and all; had I known there wouldn't have been as much deliberation"

Just realizing that he had said quite a hefty compliment, Grit suddenly felt his face filling up with blood. Lowering his head, he hid behind the beer he sipped. He watched as Sami also started to turn a little red. For once, she wasn't retorting.

"Wow…g-gee, thanks" Sami stammered, noticing Grit hiding behind his beer. Following suit, she also took a sip from her beer. Knowing her mouth was well hidden behind the beer, she allowed herself a hearty smile, almost like an excited little girl. As Grit put his beer down, so did she, as if they had just hidden from gunfire in a trench.

"A-anyway, as I was sayin'…" Grit continued. "I was umm-ing and ahh-ing about the whole thing, but I eventually decided to do it. It's about time I started datin' again"

"You stopped?" Sami asked, her head cocking slightly from the tipsiness.

"…I haven't been on a date since my Orange Star days" Grit revealed. "Can't remember if I've said that already, but if not, now you know"

Sami had an inkling of why Grit hadn't been on a date in so long. Feeling the need to cross that line, she prepared her words carefully.

"…Does this have something to do with Nell?" she asked. Her question was not answered by Grit's voice, but rather his face. Sami watched it sink a little as his head lowered a little. His shoulders fell a little as an elongated sigh seeping out of his lips. Sami started to worry; maybe she shouldn't have crossed that line after all.

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it" she said quietly. Seeing Grit's hand slumped across the bar, she reached out with her one hand and gripped it slightly. She felt his hand jolt a little upon contact, but it didn't move. Grit moved his eyes to look at Sami's hand gripping his own. If only she could see how fast his heart was beating at the moment, he thought. Clearing his throat, he started to perk himself up again.

"Don't worry about it" Grit replied. "It's old news now"

"If it makes you feel any better, I felt the same about this date, until I saw it was you in the car" Sami revealed. Grit's face turned to one of flattery and confusion.

"How come?" he asked. He then remembered that controversial topic he had at the beginning of the pint, and remembered where he was aiming with it. Eagle. "Is it because of Eagle?"

Sami looked down and nodded her head a little, sighing. Grit knew it wouldn't be too bad to ask a few more questions.

"What happened between you two anyhow?" Grit asked quietly, appreciating that the private conversation needed a voice that didn't trail.

"Our relationship was very…on and off" Sami revealed. "When he was around, I always felt like I was in heaven. But because we live in such different places, so far away…we'd always have to temporarily call it off" she revealed. Grit sighed as he listened to the story.

"Aw, you should know that long distance only works with artillery" he joked, chuckling a little. Sami started to chuckle a little as well, before her slight bit of happiness faded away again.

"It was always so hard to have to call it off all the time" Sami recalled. "I'd try out dates with other guys, but my mind would always fall to Eagle in the end and I never felt happy"

Grit's brows furrowed. He had to ask.

"…You feel that way tonight?" Grit asked. There was a short silence; Grit started to worry about the answer. Her hand was still rested on his.

"…A little" she revealed. But before Grit could say anything, she looked up quickly. "B-but not now! I mean, you've been such a nice date to me and everything"

"Ain't all your dates supposed to be nice to you?" Grit asked, finding it hard to smile at his own observation. A little grin broke through on his face, and as Sami saw it, she started to chuckle.

"Well yeah, but…" Sami stammered amidst her saddened laugh. Face sinking a little again, she looked back up at Grit, her eyes glistening. "I'm pretty sure every guy other than Eagle that I dated wasn't like you. They were always trying so hard to impress me, they'd buy all my drinks, and then try to drink more than me. Some I had to ferry home in taxis, others tried to do more with me than I wanted. Nobody was right for me, they were all just brusque army boys, looking for ass" she spat. Grit could feel her anger in her hand, which started to grip tighter to his during her anger. "They'd just make me think of Eagle, and then the date would end badly for me" she started to become flustered, a tear leaking from her eye. "I cried so much sometimes back at home that I'd fall asleep early in the morning, and then I'd end up being late for my rounds. Nell helped me quite a lot through those times"

"Tell me about it" Grit cut in. "Nell's always been reliable as a voice of reason. She makes even the darkest days look slick 'n shiny"

"How are things between you and Nell, anyway?" Sami asked suddenly. "I know you're not involved or anything, but are things good?"

Grit could now appreciate the question, seeing the anguish that Sami had to go through to explain her situation. Seeing her vulnerable made him feel strong, as if he were her guardian of sorts. Their hands were still clutching together; Grit took a deep breath, knowing his story was a lot shorter.

"…Things are good" he said. "We still chat from time to time. When I'm around, we even get coffee. But we're just friends" he explained. "Y'know, it's actually really good. Sometimes it's better to be a friend than a boyfriend"

"Just because you're the biggest doesn't mean you're the best, right?" Sami said. A smile grew from Grit's face, and his teeth then showed.

"You got it!" he said enthusiastically, flattered that Sami had remembered his favorite quotation. "…So, you and Eagle still…er, 'on and off', as you put it?" Grit asked. He didn't expect Sami to shake her head.

"I broke it off with him for the last time not too long ago" Sami said, her voice still sorrowful.

"I'm sorry" Grit said quickly.

"It's okay…" Sami answered back with the same speed. "At least now…things are official. No more on and off. I've learnt my lesson from that" There was something defiant in her voice, but before long, she started to crack in front of Grit. Lowering her head, she tried to hide her tears.

Grit began to get worried as he saw his date crying in front of him. How was he supposed to solve this? Was she more drunk than he thought, or was she really breaking down? There was no telling straight away, but at that moment, calmness fell over Grit. A familiar calmness, one that matched the feeling he'd have before and during a battle. He remembered that he brought his handkerchief with him, just in case he needed to blow his nose or something of a similar need. With full knowledge of the fact that it had remained unused, he pulled it out with his free hand and handed it to Sami.

Sami looked up to see that Grit was offering her his handkerchief. She could feel her tears warm against her cheeks, but gazing at the handkerchief brought a sense of subtle happiness to her face. Taking the handkerchief, she felt the grizzled skin of Grit's hand; drying her tears with it, she let go of Grit's other hand and stood up from her stool.

"Thanks" she said quickly. "I just need to sort myself out in the toilet"

"Take your time" Grit answered, letting his smile show. Then, before Grit could turn his attention to his half finished beer, Sami let a big smile show through her teary face. Quickly, she leant in and pecked him on the cheek, before walking backwards for a short while and finally turning around and making her way up the wooden stairs to the toilet.

Grit was left astounded by the bar. She'd just kissed his cheek. He rubbed his fingers softly against his left cheek where he had been pecked; it had been so long since someone had kissed him, even f it was just a peck on the cheek. Just as soon as he checked his face, he felt himself flushing red completely. Looking to his drink for a little comfort, he took a drink, noticing that the barman was looking at him with a cheeky smile, cleaning a glass.

"She likes you, my friend" the barman said, chuckling a little to himself. As the barman continued his duties, Grit stared into the space. For the first time in a while, he was lost for words.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

After a short while, Sami returned to see that Grit had quickly finished his beer. Hers was almost complete, and as she sat down, she finished hers off as well.

"Feelin' better?" Grit asked as soon as she had sat down. He could tell she had freshened up; it looked like she never broke down in the first place. Her smile was back, and so was the perky attitude she brought with her to begin with.

"Yes, thank you" Sami replied. She glanced at the clock at the back of the room hanging next to a singing fish and a deer's head: it read half eleven. She had no idea when she got into the car, for all they knew they could have been together for hours. But neither didn't care. Sami felt a lot more sprightly after sorting herself out in the toilet. She hadn't even realized that Grit had supplied another pair of beers at the bar. Within seconds they were deep in conversation again.

"…So, here's a few tips for your long distance, seeming you're pretty good at it anyways" Grit rambled. Sami looked on in full, drunken attention as Grit explained his craft to her over the bar. "So it's all well and good knowing your rockets from your artillery, and how far they can shoot n' stuff. But there's so many other bits n' bobs you have to worry about if you wanna get the best out of your shots, right?"

"Like what?" Sami asked.

"So, I always place orders for the best, state-of-the-art indirect units" grit revealed. "Correct me if I'm shootin' blanks, but most armies like Orange Star and heck, even Blue Moon does it: they re-use some old models to try and save up on cash. Like repairs and stuff?"

Sami nodded in confirmation. "When funds are tight…" she said. "…we have to do city repairs rather than send out orders for new artillery units. And even when we buy new artillery units, we stick with what works"

"Ah, so you see darlin'?" Grit explained, pointing with his finger (making his _point_ ). "These new models aren't in such high demand, cuz' there's this stigma that they don't work as well. I call bullshit, and say that it's jus' people being scared of trying out new models. Anyway, where was I?" The beer had started to catch up with Grit quite heavily, his words slurred but he enjoyed every sensation of drunkenness. Sami was more with it, but even she was wavering under the beer.

"So ordering new units means you shoot further?" Sami asked.

"Ah, now see, here's the thing" Grit interjected. "New models can shoot far, so that's where I get my distance from. But that ain't all the story, missy. No, you can shoot as far as Green Earth itself and it'll make no difference unless you can actually hit someone, get my drift?" Sami nodded like a child, enthralled by Grit's wisdom of long-distance firing. "So once you got the distance, you need the accuracy. Most people just give a rough area and say, 'shoot'. But no, you gotta take into account specifics of terrain, the wind on the day, whether it's rainy or sandy or whatever, everythin' and I mean **everything** matters when you're shootin' long-distance"

"So that's why you're so good" Sami marveled. "It's all in the detail"

"On a good day, I can fire artillery just as far as your battleships" Grit boasted quietly, adding a wink at the end. "It's all about details and power, hand-in-hand"

"Talking about shooting…" Sami added, looking over her shoulder to the pool table. Nobody was playing on it; in fact, Sami and Grit were the last two people at the bar. "…wanna shoot some pool?"

Grit couldn't resist a challenge, and before long, they were flocked around the table, firing away. Grit figured himself to be a very good pool player, but as they started to play a few games and converse, Grit realized that Sami was just as good at playing. This lady, who on the outside looked so pretty and elegant and daisy-like, was a hardened, beer drinking, pool shooting woman. And Grit liked it a lot. So much so that he felt like opening up about himself. The longer the night went, the more and more comfortable he felt with Sami. By the time they had played their fifth round of pool, conversing, playing (and even flirting here and there), Grit started to feel as if he had known Sami all his life. Every glance across the table seemed more and more familiar. Why, he hadn't felt this good since…

Nell.

And suddenly, something inside him sank.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The final shot was played, and Sami had finally claimed victory. Five games of pool and the previously even score of 2-2 was lifted to 2-3 in Sami's favor. Upon his defeat, Grit laughed out loud.

"By golly!" he guffawed, almost throwing his cue to the floor. "You beat me!"

Sami, who was also giggling loudly in triumph, put her cue on the table.

"You bet I did!" she claimed, stepping up to Grit. "I'm the winner!"

Grit placed his cue alongside Sami's on the table and extended a hand.

"And you can take that to the bank" he said with a warm smile. "Congrats, Sami"

Sami shook Grit's hand. For some reason, Sami didn't let go as quickly as Grit would have thought. Looking down, the two suddenly found each other staring into their eyes. Sami was slightly taken aback; Grit's eyes suddenly seemed so beautiful in the dank light of the bar. Her face begun to flush visibly red and Grit started blushing as well.

Letting go, Grit shot a glance to the clock; it was 1:30am. His heart sank a little; it was late.

"Well, I think we'd better wrap it up" Grit suggested. "It's gettin' late"

"Yeah…" Sami mumbled, following with a loud, audible sigh. Grit could tell that Sami was disappointed as well; her sigh was accompanied with a hunch of the shoulders. It was sad, yet very cute, and in that moment he wanted to hug her more than ever.

 _"Poor girl…_ " he thought. " _She was havin' such a good time. You know…I've been havin' such a good time too. I…"_

"I really like you Sami"

Grit clasped a hand to his mouth. "I-I…ah, whoops!" A sense of horror shot up through Grit's spine as he failed to stop his words of escaping his mind. Did he just what he thought he said? The wide-eyed, surprised look on Sami's face (which shot her bolt upright too) confirmed Grit's fears. Quickly he started to stammer before getting his words out.

"Sorry Sami" he said quickly. "I, uh…that didn't meant to come out that way" Grit chuckled nervously.

"Um…that's alright" Sami replied shyly, hiding her face slightly. "I…I only live a block or two down the road. Wanna walk me home?"

"You bet your sweet bippy I do!" Grit wanted to shout. The conclusion of their date was dawning on him and he knew that he didn't want to say goodbye just yet. But whatever little sobriety remained in him held him back from speaking from the hip again. Instead, he said "Yeah, that'd be nice"

And without another word, they grabbed their jackets and walked out into the rain.

As they turned and started to walk down the rainy city streets, Sami pulled out a compacted umbrella from her handbag. Impulsively, Grit took the umbrella and opened it, before shielding the two from the heavy rain. Sami smiled warmly at Grit and then slunk her arm around his. Arms entwined and spirits enlightened, they began to walk down the streets.

The journey was deathly silent. The only sounds that accompanied Grit and Sami during their walk was the sounds of the rain falling from the sky, pattering against the stony grounds of the city. Streetlights shone the black pavement path for them and the pattering of their feet against the rain puddles formed a sort of rhythm as they walked. It was a rhythm that helped Grit to think about a very bold move he'd wanted to make.

He thought heavily about Sami and the date that had just transpired. Even the little things had now grabbed his attention; the sleekness of her short red hair, the gentle shine of her lips, her porcelain-like skin. The little sneers she did whenever a shot didn't go her way in the pool games. Even the way she held her glass caught his attention and admiration; such small, delicate looking hands gripped her drink with more ferocity and certainty than any of the soldiers Grit had drunk with in the past. Sami seemed to be this juxtaposition of the delicate lady and the fierce soldier.

In his drunkenness, he admitted to himself that he felt in love for the first time in a long time. Nobody since Nell had made him feel this way. Thinking of Nell cast his mind back into the past, years ago…

Back then, when they were dating, both Grit and Nell would also grace the bars around the Orange Star camps. Grit remembered the way he'd felt about Nell. The intense feeling of luck that he'd felt, knowing that she was his, that such a pretty lady would date a schmuck like him. He thought about the great times they'd shared, both intimate and publicly. Those days seemed so halcyon to Grit, as if nothing would go wrong. She made the bitter taste of war seem somewhat sweet. She ridded Grit of the guilt that came with taking life on the battlefield. She mad everything seem as if it was okay.

At that moment, he felt something lean against his arm. Looking down, he saw that Sami had rested her head against his arm as they were walking. Closing his eyes, he treasured the sensation. It was almost uncanny, that many moons ago both Grit and Nell would walk in exactly the same fashion in the city rain. It was also uncanny that in Sami, Grit saw elements of Nell. The determination and the spirit, coupled strangely with the happy-go-lucky and girlish attributes. Perhaps Nell's influence had rubbed off on Sami during her formative years in the army, Grit thought.

But despite the similarities, Grit still saw Sami as her own person. The restaurant experience was ultimate proof of that. Nell would have never turned her nose down at such high society. It was one thing that Grit couldn't get comfortable with, the fancy coffees they'd go on for dates, the high bills, and Nell's seeming discomfort with steakhouses. With Sami, those boundaries would be broken.

Which ultimately guided Grit's trail of thought to the inevitable. The end of the relationship was a painful process, but Grit knew that things could have been handled with such ease. But it wasn't, and Grit felt entirely to blame. Grit was the one who decided to end the relationship with Nell. The reason, he felt, still haunted him to this day.

It was no secret amongst people that his breakup with Nell and Grit's move to Blue Moon may have had some connection. But Grit knew himself they weren't connected in that way.

Grit had a secret that no one knew.

It was the one factor that ended both his relationship with Nell and his ties with Orange Star. The two mistakes Grit wished he had never made, the mistakes that haunted him even as he walked through the rainy streets. No Allied Nations or any alliance could ever fix the mistake he made of leaving Nell and leaving Orange Star. How he wished he could turn back the clock and restart, to battle back against the factor that caused the split and to continue happily with his life. If he knew now what he'd known before, perhaps things wouldn't have ended so sourly.

Grit's life felt as if it had been sidetracked from the moment he'd left. Until now.

Walking side by side with Sami, he realized that he was rediscovering his truth. Things felt normal, things felt _natural_. In Sami he had found a reason to cope, a reason not to care for the mistakes for the past. Perhaps this was the moment he could finally lay his demons to rest. To find an ultimate release from his haunts.

"Sami…"

The two stopped on the corner of a street.

"What's wrong?" Sami asked as they stopped. Huddled under the umbrella, Sami looked up at Grit. His eyes were closed and his face was one of deep contemplation.

"…I want to say thanks" Grit said slowly. Sami smiled gently, her eyes semi closed and sleepy.

"For the date?" she asked. "I loved it"

Her words warmed Grit's heart. But that wasn't all.

"I…wanted to thank you for makin' me feel comfortable" Grit explained. As Sami looked on, Grit felt his heart opening out. "This night…it's been amazin', you know that? I don't think I've enjoyed myself since college! And even then, I don't think I've had as much fun as tonight. It's been…quite somethin', you know?"

Grit voice was quivering; he knew that a decision faced him. Would he tell Sami about the demons that had haunted him since college?

"I…I feel like I gotta explain somethin' to you" Grit said as the rain became heavier. "About why I broke up with Nell. About why I left Orange Star. About…"

He gulped.

"…About why I am like I am"

And despite the heaving rain drowning out his voice, Sami could hear every word of what he said next.

"…Since I was in college, I've been sufferin' from depression"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The two started in silence at each other for what seemed like an eternity. The word reverberated inside Sami's head like gentle ripples of water.

 _Depression_.

But how? She couldn't put two and two together; Grit seemed like the last person in the world who could have been suffering! He always looked so calm, so at peace, even in the face of war. She couldn't hide the surprise on her face as she stared at Grit, a man she had considered so strong and emotionally sturdy. Grit noticed her surprise. But he himself suddenly felt at peace. He wasn't surprised by Sami's reaction; after all, it was always the person you least suspected who would be most likely to suffer.

"I'd better tell you the story" Grit explained as they stood still. Closing his eyes to recount the whole thing, he began to speak.

"It all started when I went to college. Back then I was as happy-go-lucky as could be. I know, it's strange, right? Thinkin' of me as some bouncy guy with a smile on my face every time. I was full o' energy back in those days. Anyway, college was normal, me and Max were best friends and stuff, and I met Nell and we hit it off. Everything seemed pretty perfect…until my second year of college. Then, all of sudden, I felt isolated. Felt alone. Like nobody cared"

As he spoke, he felt Sami's arm slowly slink around his back. He relished the comfortable feeling of it, a small smile appearing as he continued to tell his story.

"Depression's a fickle thing. I just thought I wasn't eatin' well enough, or that maybe I was stressed or somethin'. But nope, despite makin' the changes, I didn't want to leave my room, struggled LOADS to actually go out an' socialize and stuff, felt sick, felt alone, you name in, anythin' negative and I was feeling it harder than anyone else possibly could. It'd come and go, some moments I'd be happier than a squirrel in an acorn pile. The some days I felt like I was…rotting. Rotting and rottin' way. Like, sittin' down and starin' at space. I dealt with it until the end of college and through the start of my army career. I was really withdrawn, kinda like I am now, you know? Quiet, and after havin' dealt with it for such a long time, not even war could usually shift my feelings. I'd be like a rock of unhappiness, or happiness, whichever mood I was on at the time"

"So…" Sami interjected. "The reason you're so calm all the time…was it depression?" she asked.

"…Hmm, nope" Grit replied. "Not recently, anyway. You see back then, I was a lot more broodin'. But here's what happened: I broke up with Nell not long into my Orange Star career. Lots of people think it was because she rose up the ranks high n' I got jealous or somethin'. But you see, when you have depression, even the most solid things in your life become…uncertain. Heck, even life itself isn't certain when it hits super hard…lord knows I've been…close"

Grit could remember the darkest days of his depression, when he would be stood in the kitchen, a knife edge resting against his skin, contemplating whether to leave himself in a heap of horror on the floor. The image chilled him to the core and he felt thankful to be in the lighter days of his illness. Sami's grip became tighter, as if she was holding on to him for dear life.

"You get so scared sometimes" Grit continued. "That no one's hearing you. No one would understand why I'd lock myself in my room or my office. Or not want to talk. Nell couldn't understand why I'd just suddenly storm out on dates, or not return calls. That type of thing. It seemed so natural for me to do all that stuff. It's like some depression bug gets in your head and plays havoc. Then one day, I just broke up with her"

A moment of silence reigned. With a sigh, Grit continued.

"I just called it off" he revealed. "And on the same day, I quit Orange Star and defected to Blue Moon. It was such a stupid thing to do…but back then, I felt like I had to. It was a cry for help in a way, you know? It all made so much sense at the time"

"You felt like nobody was understanding the pain you were going through?" Sami asked.

"In a sense, I was hurtin' myself then" Grit explained. "But just emotionally. The break up was horrible, and Max got in my face for it. I got so angry; I quit Orange Star there and then. To this day they think I just lost my temper, but it was a cry for help. If only I knew that to any sane person, it wouldn't have looked like that. And I just couldn't up and say I was depressed"

"You had it diagnosed?" Sami asked. Grit nodded in confirmation.

"While I was in college. I refused medication, the idea of drugs n' stuff messin' up my brain don't sit well with me" Grit explained. "So that's what happened. My break up was a cry for help due to my depression. Quittin' Orange Star was for the same thing"

Sami suddenly grabbed hold of Grit in a loving embrace, digging the side of her face into his neck.

"Oh Grit" she said, exasperated. "If only I'd known…"

"It's alright, Sami" Grit said, taking Sami into his arms while holding the umbrella up. "There's some good news in this"

"There is?" Sami asked, looking up at Grit.

"When I went to Blue Moon, it really helped" Grit revealed. "To get away from it all. When you're so far away from where the depression developed, where all the troubles were and stuff, things became easier to deal with. It's made me into the quiet, unassuming, super calm person you know me as today" he revealed.

"But all the skirmishes you had with Orange Star?" Sami asked.

"It was hard, yeah…" Grit thought, thinking back to Olaf's first failed invasion. "Especially seein' Nell again. But depression's weird. I've learnt to cope with it by making peace with it. That means makin' peace with all the things I consider connected to it"

"So making peace with Nell and Max?" Sami asked.

"That's right" Grit confirmed. "I never told them exactly why I left, but we talked enough over time to put the past behind us. Since those days, I go about my business as if my depression never existed. I learnt to walk away from the Pandora's box that depression is" Grit smiled as he recounted the return of his happier days. "It never really goes away, it just becomes part of you; you learn how to cope. You learn how not to care." Grit paused for a moment before continuing. "I knew I had it, but it was dormant. Still, it was my secret, and it never sat well inside me. Until now"

"You mean I'm the first person you've told about this?" Sami asked. As Grit nodded, she sighed quietly. "But…why me?" She couldn't quite understand the cryptic nature in which Grit described his depression, but she knew that it could be severe. She knew not to judge it, but to respect it. Her understanding of depression based on Grit's story was that it had no understanding. Grit not being heard meant that nobody could comprehend what he was going through. And nobody could, not even herself. But Sami didn't want to make the mistake that everybody else in Grit's life had made. She wasn't going to treat it at face value and devalue Grit's emotional experiences as something shallow, like a strop. She valued Grit, this one night had taught her so much about this enigma of a man that she felt she wanted nothing more than to protect and respect the man she currently held in her arms. Depressed or not, it didn't sway her strong feelings for him in this still, raw moment in time. Just because she didn't understand it, didn't mean she couldn't respect it. In that sense, depression was just like life itself.

"Why you?" Grit asked. "It's easy, darlin'. I feel like you get it" A big smile appeared on Grit's lips as he talked. "It was happenin' to me today! At the restaurant, I had to go to the toilet to sort myself out. I recognized the cascadin' of thoughts, the chain reaction of negativity; it felt just like college again in that toilet. But you just helped me feel so calm, you didn't question, you didn't make a fuss. You just made me feel like me, this whole night, and I've just had the most amazing time…"

He stopped himself. Grit knew if he kept talking, they'd be there until the morning sun. And so, he ended it there.

As Sami and Grit walked arm in arm together towards her apartment in the city, Grit finally felt just at ease as he was back in the glory days of college. He knew that depression would never leave him. But he had learnt how to cope. The depression had shaped his character and defined who he was; it was these impressions that depression had left that would never leave. Grit, however, knew most of all that scars can be worn with pride.

Arriving at Sami's door, they parted and looked at each other.

"Well…" Sami said quietly, looking down to the pavement. "…It's been a lovely night"

"Sami…" Grit said quietly. Sami looked up at Grit, thew two standing very close together. At the beginning, Grit would have felt far too nervous to even try it. But standing close to her in the rain of the city, late at night, he felt calmer thanever. Bending down, he kissed her cheek gently, holding her arm gently. Stepping away from her slowly, he took a deep breath. "It's been fun"

Sami, against Grit's expectation, wasn't blushing. She also felt just as calm. It was if she had known him all his life.

"Grit" she asked. "Call me. I'll never forget what you said tonight, and I'll never forget tonight in general. This is not, and I repeat NOT the last time I see you, okay?"

Grit started to laugh.

"You bet!" Grit replied as he stood backwards, out from under Sami's umbrella and into the rain. "Next week, same bar at eight? They do food; I saw the menu"

"It's a date!" Sami chuckled loudly through the sound of the rain. "Grit…goodbye"

Turning around, Grit waved his hand. "Later darlin'!"

And with that, he was gone.

On the streets, and in the car on the way back to his abode, Grit reflected on one of the greatest nights of his life. His cry for help had finally been heard, and for once in his life, the demons didn't chase him to sleep. The stars shone brightly, and in the space of hours, Grit felt his life shine just as brightly.

It wasn't rocket science to figure out where Sami and Grit were the following week.

THE END

 **Hope you enjoyed it, do check out my other stories, rate and review and have a good day!**


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